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First EU Energy Strategy for Transport adopted |
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EU Transport Ministers have agreed to support more stringent legislation tackling growing emissions from transport. In the meantime, EU environmental leaders are set to convince business that an ambitious environmental policy is key to boost Europe's competitiveness.
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2007-06-12
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Transport is about to be the key subject of upcoming regulations, as the EU intends to slash energy consumption by 20% by 2020 and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This has been agreed by the EU Transport Ministers at their last Council meeting on 8 June. Adopting the first European energy strategy addressing solely the transport sector, they called more specifically at all car manufacturers to step up efforts to make vehicle production more environmentally friendly across all model classes. ´
"Eco-innovations" key for EU competitiveness
To make road transport "greener", now accounting for 84% of all EU transport emissions, the ministers call on the European Commission to create a regulatory framework that would significantly cut CO2 emissions from passenger cars while fostering sustainable, energy-efficient and cost-effective technologies. Future legislation, they pledge, must ensure that each individual transport mode bears the full cost of its "ecological footprint".
EU Position on the new transport strategy
[The energy strategy] "clearly identifies where we intend to establish our priorities in the near future. First and foremost, of course, in the sphere of passenger car fuel consumption. What is important is that every manufacturer makes a contribution, in every market segment and with every model," said Wolfgang Tiefensee, Germany's Transport Minister and representative of the current EU German Presidency.
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While EU governments are committed to take transport to the centre stage of environmental legislation, all 27 EU environment ministers have set out to convince Europe’s industry leaders that the ability to serve green markets will clearly become a crucial element of future economic success. At an informal meeting on 2 June, they urged the industry to support an ambitious environmental policy as "one of the strongest pillars of Europe's economy" offering a large window of opportunity for global trade worth €1,000 billion.
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The "Green Week" in Brussels, the biggest annual international conference and exhibition event dedicated to EU environment policies, will underline this message by serving as an exchange forum promoting innovative and competitive technologies. The four-day event, starting today, 12 June, will gather representatives from governments, business, NGOs, and academic communities to discuss efficient strategies to tackle global warming, this year's key topic.
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More information:
 Council Conclusions on a European Energy Strategy for Transport (110 KB)
› EU Green Week 2007: "Changing our Behaviour" - official website
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